Winless-for-'96 Mark Martin Thinks Atlanta Could Be His

NAPA 500 notebook

November 9, 1996|By Mike Dame of The Sentinel Staff

Several drivers still are looking for their first victory of the season, but none is more prominent than Daytona Beach resident Mark Martin. He has won at least one race every year since 1989 and desperately wants to extend his streak to eight seasons. Precedent has been set - Martin's lone victory in 1991 was at Atlanta in the season finale. And his qualifying run of 184.528 mph on Friday was fourth-fastest and best among the Fords. ''I probably should have let it hang out a little bit more than that, but we've got a lot of poles,'' Martin said. ''We need to win a race. We're going to be around here on Sunday, I hope. This car is awesome. I'm fired up about Sunday.''

GENDER GAP

WITH AN eye toward one day competing on the Winston Cup circuit, NASCAR All Pro Series driver Tammy Jo Kirk announced she will race in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next season in a Ford owned by Winston Cup veteran Geoff Bodine. Kirk, who many regard as stock-car racing's most talented female driver, finished seventh in the All Pro short-track series this season, earning two poles along the way and five top-five finishes. ''I drive a pickup all the time, so I should feel right at home driving one on the track,'' Kirk said. ''And from what Geoff has told me, they're fun to drive.''

BRIEFLY . . .

BRETT BODINE, who has only two top-10 finishes this season in his Ford Thunderbird, positioned himself for a better 1997 on Friday when he announced new sponsors - Catalyst Communications of Sarasota and Frontier Communications of Rochester, N.Y. Bodine, who bought his team from Junior Johnson after the 1995 season, also has signed an engine deal with Roush Industries, whose owner, Jack Roush, is one of the most respected engine builders in NASCAR history. Roush owns three Winston Cup cars, including that of Martin. . . . Dale Jarrett went home to Charlotte on Thursday after learning his brother-in-law, Kevin Spears, was seriously injured in an automobile accident in which one person was killed. Spears punctured a lung and broke both legs when his car collided head-on with a truck.